Arsenal started well and topped the table for a large stretch of the season but fell away badly and ended up scraping for fourth place.

While it looks like they've secured Champions League football for another year, Mertesacker has been left wondering what could have been.

Mertesacker said: "We have struggled heavily with a couple of injuries, but we have regrouped very well and how we managed the situation was maybe more important than last year, so securing Champions League football was another test for us.

FLASHPOINT: Mertesacker berates Mesut Ozil after their battering at Manchester City [GETTY]

“We did not deserve to be in the first three”

Per Mertesacker

"It is not done yet, Everton play Manchester City on Saturday, but we have it in our own hands.

"However, everyone wanted us to get further up, especially the fans, and we were top of the table for a long time.

"Everyone dreamed about the title, but it takes more than staying top until the winter period.

"We could not afford those [losses] in big games against big teams, so we did not deserve to be in the first three. That is something we have to manage much better next year.

"The [defeats in the] early away games [at Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea] killed us this year. Hopefully we can learn from that.